the alabaster jar

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Sunbury Press has released The Alabaster Jar, Marie Sontag’s second installment in the Ancient Elements series, set in ancient Egypt.

Sam held up the lamp and studied the room’s walls. Hieroglyphs of prayers, painted pictures of the gods, and elaborate stone torch sconces adorned the area. There has to be more to this tomb. But what? Why were men sneaking in and out of it?

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:
“Readers who have waited for Samsuluna’s next escapade will not be disappointed in The Alabaster Jar. In this fast-paced adventure, Sam, Balashi and Amata witness political plotting, and question the sincerity of their new friends. A newly discovered tomb, the bustling Nile River trade, secret passages and the alabaster jar all await you!” — Mary Pat Vargas, 6th Grade Teacher, CA

“A skillfull interweaving of intrigue and deception. Each character has different secrets and issues, but they all become intertwined. A great read for early adolescents!” — Roberta Hendricks, Reading Intervention Specialist, TX

“One of the best books I’ve ever read! This book will have you on the edge of your seat no matter how hard your heart is.” — Ian, age 12, TX

“The Alabaster Jar is a mesmerizing journey of good versus evil in one of history’s greatest ancient cultures.” — Nick Gervase, Santa Clara Unified School District Superintendent, Retired, CA

EXCERPT:
When fourteen-year-old Samsuluna saw the scrawny scribe grab the priest’s robed arm, Sam stepped back into the shadow of a limestone column.

“We just uncovered the entrance to an undiscovered tomb near Giza,” the administrative scribe told Nakthor, the lector priest.

Sam saw Nakthor cup his hand on the side of his mouth. “Does anyone know about this yet?”

The short scribe shook his baldhead. “Only our two workers.”

Even in the dim light of Memphis’ setting sun, Sam saw Nakthor’s bottom lip curl into a half-smile. “Draw me a map and start our usual process tomorrow.” Nakthor then gripped the scribe’s shoulder. “But make sure no one sees you. This must remain a secret.”

Sam stepped further into the column’s shadow and waited for the two men to leave the compound of the House of Scrolls. He never liked Nakthor. Every morning Sam endured Nakthor’s high-pitched voice as the priest recited prayers and incantations for the day. And whenever Sam and his adoptive father, Balashi, left with the Egyptian Chief Physician to visit patients in the city of Memphis, they first had to get permission from the priest. Nakthor always granted it, but he never failed to make condescending remarks about Sam and Balashi’s Babylonian citizenship. More than once, Sam heard Nakthor refer to them as unwelcomed foreigners.